Current Projects Being Conducted in the Elsie Welter Natural History Museum
Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas (Collaboration with the Bell Museum of Natural History)
The Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas is a collaborative statewide effort initiated by the Bell Museum of Natural History to create a publicly accessible database management system that will integrate natural history records from across the state housed at different institutions. The Atlas will enable users to map species distributions, create species lists, use digital images for identification, and search for historical records. Access to these records will be available for natural resource management decisions and serve as a source of material for K-12 to higher education projects.
A portion of a grant awarded by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources has provided the Elsie Welter Natural History Museum with a scanner and the resources to digitize our specimens and add our records to the Atlas.
Several students (Peter Weinzierl, Jordan Hunnicutt, Alexander McPhee, Elliot Hollman, Fenley Grumann, and Katie Waugh) attended the scanner installation and training by Tim Whitfeld and Anna Fowler.
MPR Story: From a basement lab to computers worldwide, Concordia College digitizes thousands of species
Examining Dental Anomalies and Pathology in White-tailed Deer
Tessa Danielson and Sophia Tobin are conducting a project using museum specimens to look for anomalies and dental pathology in white-tail deer jaws.
Documenting our Natural History Specimens
Several students have been assisting with getting out natural history specimens cataloged into electronic databases. This work involves getting the data associated with specimens into an electronic database, essentially providing an electronic link between the physical specimen and the location collected, as well as other natural history data associated with the specimens. This is an ongoing effort and ties in with Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas project described above.
Participating students have included Chloe Whitten, Glory Godwin Lekashu, Cameron & Brendan Whittaker (high school students), Jake Seboe, Jessica Watson, Katie Waugh, Sarah Schroeder, and Zara Iwen.
